Antonio Silva: “Testosterone Don't Win the Fight”

UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem has become a lightning rod for controversy of late with his ties to testosterone use and his propensity for trash talking on the microphone.

Overeem recently returned from a de facto nine-month suspension due to a surprise drug test showing an elevated ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva knocked Overeem out in the third round of their UFC 156 bout in early February.

Silva and fellow Brazilian Junior dos Santos recently made a media stop in Las Vegas to promote their participation in the upcoming UFC 160 in May. The topic of conversation eventually landed on Overeem. Silva, of course, was fresh off the victory over the Rheem, while dos Santos was originally slated to fight him at UFC 160, but will instead fight Mark Hunt with the Dutch powerhouse out due to injury.

Silva and dos Santos’ opinions differ about whether or not Overeem, who now has reportedly tested for very low levels of testosterone, should be allowed to join the ranks of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) participants – a legal and widely used medical therapy that has become popular with athletes, especially in the sport of MMA – but they bond over their mutual dislike for Overeem’s lack of respect when he opens his mouth.

“He talk a lot. I think he needs to close his mouth and go to the gym,” said a grinning Silva.

“He’s a smart mouth. He loves the media. He loves to talk. I don’t know why the media loves him so much, but you win the fight in the cage, not outside (the) cage.”

Unlike Silva, dos Santos and Overeem have never met in the cage despite having been booked on two prior occasions. During their previous lead ups, however, the pre-fight trash talk was running thick, something uncharacteristic for the usually reserved dos Santos.

Unlike his countryman Silva, who says if Overeem does begin TRT usage that it’s fine if approved by a doctor, “Cigano” disagrees with the whole process.

“Yeah, I’m gonna be angry,” he said about his thoughts on TRT usage, specifically if Overeem were allowed a therapeutic use exemption. “But if the doctor allows him, it’s going to be my word against the doctor, and I lose.

“If they’re going to allow him to use it, what are you going to do? For sure I’m going to be angry. Because it happens, this test that he did with his testosterone, yes? It was a low level, right? You know why? Because he stops taking these things. So then he did the test [laughs] and comes back to take the things.”

TRT, or no TRT, one thing remains certain; using testosterone doesn’t guarantee you a win, something Silva is quick to point out.

“Testosterone don’t win the fight, (not) Chael Sonnen, (not) Overeem — a lot of guys use testosterone and they don’t win the fight.”